Flames prepare for qualifying round as training camp opens

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — The Calgary Flames will be back on the ice today in preparation for the NHL’s return-to-play plan.

Phase 3 of the league’s process will take place at the Saddledome for the Flames with 35 players reporting with the first on-ice session taking place Monday morning.

There is one player that will not be in attendance as defenceman Travis Hamonic notified the team on Friday that he has opted out due to family reasons.

Any other player who decides to not play will have to let team officials know by 3 p.m. on Monday in order to avoid penalty.

The NHL also announced that it “will continue to announce, on a regular basis throughout Phase 3 and Phase 4, positive player test results for COVID-19 while not releasing individual player or team identities.

“The policy revision was adopted given the unique circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to allow for an individual player’s right to medical privacy,” the league said in a statement.

The change will take effect at the start of Phase 3 — when training camps for teams will open in 24 cities — on Monday, July 13.

On Friday, the NHL and NHLPA ratified a four-year collective bargaining agreement extension and return-to-play plan.

The first games of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers are scheduled to start on Aug. 1.

The Flames will begin their qualifying round against the Winnipeg Jets on Aug. 1 in Edmonton.

— with files from Sportsnet